Sol Aerial Surveys Team – Page 2

Neal Brantner

Aerial Survey Pilot

Where do you live?
East TN/ SW VA

How long have you been flying?
4 years

Which of our company values resonates the most with you?
Integrity. I want my legacy to be one of kindness and honesty.

Where is your favorite place that you have traveled to for work?
Coeur d’Alene. I wish I could have spent more time there.

What makes Sol stand out from the competition?
Sol is a place where your opinion matters, where you are cared about as a human being, not just a number on a page.

Favorite cuisine? (obvious answer is chipotle)
*Looks around nervously “Chipotle of course!” My favorite food changes frequently. My go to comfort food is a good mac and cheese.

What are the first three things on your bucket list?
I do not have any set order to my bucket list, but some top contenders are, be my brother’s FO on his retirement flight, take my son camping, own an Aston Martin.

What are your future ambitions?
I would like to show my son the world and fly with my brother at Delta.

What is one moment in your life that you would want to relive?
Drinking Gin Tonicas on the roof of a hotel in Lisbon with my wife on the first day of our Honeymoon.

What or who is your inspiration? Why so?
My family. As cheesy as it sounds, I would not be here without the support my wife, parents, and siblings give me, or the drive to be better every day I get from my son.

Tom Sedares

Sol Aerial Surveys Team

Aerial Survey Pilot

Where do you live?
Worcester, MA

How long have you been flying?
Six years.

What makes Sol a special place to work?
The team. Everyone here cares about what they do and helps each other out.

Which of our company values resonates the most with you?
“The little things matter”, there is an attention to detail put in at Sol that isn’t found everywhere and it makes all the difference.

What inspired you to choose this career path?
I got a part time job working the ramp for Jetblue during college and a coworker who owned a Mooney totally changed my plans for a career when he took me flying (which was my first time in an airplane of any size).

Favorite cuisine?(obvious answer is chipotle)
Is baked mac and cheese a cuisine?

What are the first three things on your bucket list?
Travel Europe with my wife, drive across the country on a national park road trip, fly a plane on straight floats in Alaska.

What or who is your inspiration? Why so?
My Dad, he’s the hardest working person I know.

Ethan Rash

Sol Aerial Surveys Team

Assistant Chief Pilot

How long have you been flying?
Five years.

Where do you live?
I go back and forth between Minnesota and North Carolina.

What makes Sol a special place to work?
At Sol the management team truly cares about its employees and wants to see them grow. It has been the first job where I feel my potential is being found and management is helping me achieve it!

Which of our company values resonates the most with you?
Integrity is the company value that resonates with me the most. Integrity is one thing no one can take away from you in life, it says everything about who you are as a person and what you believe.

What do you like most about your job?
My favorite part about my job is getting to work with other great pilots. I very much enjoy the manager on duty role.

What have been some challenging moments for you at work?
The most challenging and also rewarding experiences usually revolve around making solo decisions in the plane. Flying single pilot is always a challenge but incredibly rewarding.

What excites you about our work?
The flying is the most exciting part of our work but the management role also excites me, it is a very rewarding feeling to help other pilots accomplish tasks and support them.

What makes Sol stand out from the competition?
Sol is very unique in that it is made up of the top people in the industry. I never question the work ethic or integrity of those I work with.

What are the first three things on your bucket list?
Fly the VFR corridor in NYC, visit all 50 states, and get my master’s degree.

Do you have any role models?
I have been lucky to have some strong role models in my life to keep me on the right track and grow as a person. My Dad, Todd, and Scott are a few very influential role models in my life.

What or who is your inspiration? Why so?
My inspiration comes from a drive to always be doing better and achieving more. I have a relentless urge to do better and be the best at anything I do.

Jake Kirschbaum

Sol Aerial Surveys Team

Aerial Survey Pilot

How long have you been flying?
Seven years.

Where do you live?
Silverdale, WA

What makes Sol a special place to work?
Working with a group of people who all strive to be the best at what they do and never stop working to improve.

Which of our company values (Safety, Hard Work, Integrity, The Little Things Matter) resonates the most with you?
Hard Work, while on the road this job can be a lot of work but it’s also a lot of fun! And the time off gives you a lot of flexibility to enjoy yourself.

What do you like most about your job?
Being able to travel the country and see all of the different places it has to offer.

What is your favorite way to spend a day off?
Exploring whatever city I am in and finding all of the cool places to hike.

What excites you about our work?
You never know what new adventure you will be on next time you go out on the road.

What makes Sol stand out from the competition?
Everyone at Sol is always pushing to be the best that they personally can be and also working together to make the company the best that it can be.

Favorite cuisine? (obvious answer is chipotle)
I’ve always loved fresh fish and other seafood from the Hood Canal back home

What are the first three things on your bucket list?
Flying trip to Alaska, climb Mt. Rainier, and travel to all of the national parks.

What was your first job, did you like it?
Working in an aircraft restoration shop, it was an awesome job that got me a lot of great experience with aircraft

Where would it be and why if you could live anywhere in the world?
The Pacific Northwest, I grew up there and after traveling all around the country I still haven’t found another area that is better for everything I enjoy doing

What or who is your inspiration? Why so?
My grandfather worked for Boeing, Grumman, and a few other aircraft manufacturers as an engineer. His love for aviation was passed on through my dad to me and led to where I am today.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
Chipotle burrito bowls of course.

Jack Dennis

Sol Aerial Surveys Team

Aerial Survey Pilot

How long have you been flying?
10 years.

Where do you live?
Southbury, CT

What makes Sol a special place to work?
The people – with the right team, anything is possible!

Which of our company values (Safety, Hard Work, Integrity, The Little Things Matter) resonates the most with you?
Little things matter! Life is all in the details – especially true with aviation.

Where is your favorite place that you have traveled to for work?
Southern California

What inspired you to choose this career path?
There’s no better career than getting paid to fly!

What is your favorite way to spend a day off?
While on the road, my ideal day off involves sleeping in, grabbing brunch at a local diner, exploring the area, and working out!

What excites you about our work?
How the imagery from our flights directly helps communities – whether it be for city planning or post-catastrophe rescue efforts.

What makes Sol stand out from the competition?
Sol puts people first, creating an unmatched team spirit and a unified goal of being the best out there.

Favorite hobbies?
Concerts, art, walking, tail numbers

What are the first three things on your bucket list?
Own an airplane, go skydiving, have multiple dogs

What are your future ambitions?
Airlines/corporate: fly for work as little as possible, and fly for fun as much as possible.

Where would it be and why if you could live anywhere in the world?
Somewhere warm, by water, with good food!

What is one moment in your life that you would want to relive?
First 310 solo!

What or who is your inspiration? Why so?
My parents are my biggest inspirations.

What is your all-time favorite drink?
Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
Pizza or a bowl of cereal.

Warren Curley

Sol Aerial Surveys Team

Aerial Survey Pilot

How long have you been flying?
Eight years.

Where do you live?
Monte Vista, Colorado

What makes Sol a special place to work?
Having a great team that backs us up every day.

Which of our company values (Safety, Hard Work, Integrity, The Little Things Matter) resonates the most with you?
Safety. Sol does not cut corners or turn a blind eye to any issue that may arrive.

What do you like most about your job?
Definitely getting to travel to new places every rotation. I have seen more of the country flying for Sol than I ever had before.

What is your favorite way to spend a day off?
When I am home I take time with the family or any activity in the mountains. When I am on rotation I love going and exploring the local area that I am working out of.

What makes Sol stand out from the competition?
Sol has an outstanding team that upholds the company values without exception.

What are your favorite hobbies?
Fishing, rock climbing, and motorcycle riding.

What are the first three things on your bucket list?
I have never set a bucket list. I prefer to get experiences as they come rather than trying to force one particular thing to happen.

What are your future ambitions?
To continue growing in my professional career while finding the balance with my personal life.

Would you rather read a book or listen to it on tape?
Read. I prefer the voices my imagination gives the characters.

What is your all-time favorite drink?
Ice water, the classic.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
Loaded baked potato soup. It is my weakness.

Carlos Metcalf

Sol Aerial Surveys Team

Aerial Survey Pilot

How long have you been flying?
About five years.

Where do you live?
Ormond Beach, FL

What makes Sol a special place to work?
The Family environment you receive from the top to bottom, everyone emits such a positive energy which makes Sol Special.

Which of our company values (Safety, Hard Work, Integrity, The Little Things Matter) resonates the most with you?
I would say Safety resonates the most with me. At the end of the day the most important aspect is to make it back home safely to our loved ones. Sol takes safety and maintenance to the next level and it truly shows.

Where is your favorite place that you have traveled to for work?
Favorite place so far is Niagara Falls, NY. The fact I was able to land into IAG with the falls in plane sight is a memory I will never forget.

What do you like most about your job?
The amount of amazing places we get to visit and the great people I get to meet along the journey.

What have been some challenging moments for you at work?
Life on the road can be challenging in the beginning but it is an adjustment for anyone at first. After some time you establish a routine and with technology nowadays, you are only one call/facetime away from your loved ones.

What is your favorite way to spend a day off?
Spending quality time with my family at the beach.

What makes Sol stand out from the competition?
The quality of time and love that goes into our aircraft in the smallest details is what makes us stand out as well as the genuine people you get to work with.

What are the first three things on your bucket list?
Take my family to visit Chile, buy an Airplane and teach my daughter how to fly.

What is one moment in your life that you would want to relive?
The first night my wife and I brought home our newly born daughter from the hospital, it felt like a dream.

What or who is your inspiration? Why so?
My Wife is my inspiration, she encourages me everyday to keep working hard for what I love and she puts up with me being gone for weeks at a time while managing life at home with our baby daughter, all while going to Nursing School Full Time.

Adrian Lopez

Sol Aerial Surveys Team

Maintenance Coordinator

Where do you live?
Las Vegas, Nevada

Which of our company’s core values (Safety, Hard Work, Integrity, The Little Things Matter) resonates the most with you?
SAFETY- Safety is the core value that resonates with me the most. As a member of the maintenance department, our pilots rely on us to make sure the aircraft are in top-notch shape, so safety resonates with me because I refuse to let them down!

What makes Sol a special place to work?
Sol is a special place to work because it’s fulfilling. Each and every day you are able to see the impact of your work, no matter how small it may be, when you close your eyes you go to bed knowing you’ve made a difference!

What do you like most about your job?
What I like most about my job is the people. The camaraderie aspect is second to none, and it feels good knowing that I’m not just a cog in the wheel but a member of a team who is actually valued.

What about Sol made you decide to work here?
The deciding factor that made me choose Sol was that the room for growth professionally is never ending. There’s always something to be learned, and there is always someone there whether they know the answer to your question or not to help you reach your goals.

What is your favorite way to spend a day off on the road?
My favorite way to spend a day off consists of my kids running around acting crazy, food, video games and cartoons.

What is your favorite cuisine and why is it Chipotle?
My Favorite cuisine is Sushi, but when that’s said and done Chipotle is the close second!

What are the first three things on your bucket list?
To own something that can be passed down generation by generation, Travel to Japan, and Scuba Diving

What or who is your inspiration? Why so?
My Children are my inspiration. They inspire me to never give up, they inspire me to learn, they inspire me to always be there for them.

Peter Makredes

Sol Aerial Surveys Team

President and Owner

How long have you been flying?
10 years.
Where do you live?
Las Vegas, Nevada.

Where is your favorite place that you have traveled to for work?
Kalispell, Montana. The views are incredible, and the clear air cannot be beat.

What is the coolest airport that you have landed at for work?
GJT – Grand Junction, CO. The terrain is pretty, and you are surrounded by it.

What about Sol made you decide to work here?
I wanted to create a business that made everyone proud to work for it. I am proud of that.
What makes Sol a special place to work?
The people.

Which of our company’s core values (Safety, Hard Work, Integrity, The Little Things Matter) resonates the most with you?
Integrity – all we have in life is our name.

What are the first three things on your bucket list?
Go to space, own my own Chipotle, and leave the world better than I found it.

What or who is your inspiration? Why so?
My future self is my inspiration. I know what that person is going to be capable of and every day I work to be that person.

Is there something you can’t live without?
Chipotle.

Damian Doig

Sol Aerial Surveys Team

Chief Pilot

How long have you been flying?
Four and a half years.

Where do you live?
Loveland, CO

Where is your favorite place that you have traveled to for work?
Tampa was such a blast last year getting to have all of the planes together, flying over the beach. Not much beats that.

What is the coolest airport that you have landed at for work?
Chicos FBO Star Wars collection is always fun to see. In terms of approaches and landings, KVNC is just beautiful to land at. In terms of amenities, KPUB ice-cream or KIWS massage chairs and movie theatre are pretty great.

How did you find this position?
I was working as the ACP at another aerial survey company and stumbled onto a post on social media. The opportunity to fly multi was a huge draw, then getting to know Peter sealed the deal.

What makes Sol a special place to work?
The people, without question. That starts from the top down. Peter is as great an owner as there is, Chipotle addiction notwithstanding. Jonathan is a great leader who is thoughtful and easy to talk to. He has been a huge support for me as I stepped into my current role. Every Aerial Survey Pilot that we have works hard and plays hard. I genuinely cannot wait each day to see the work we put in, and the random laughs that happen throughout the day. Flying the best 310s that exist helps too.

Which of our company’s core values (Safety, Hard Work, Integrity, The Little Things Matter) resonates the most with you?
Integrity- Regardless of what else is going on we are the same day to day. If we say we are going to do something, we do it to the best of our ability. It is great to be in an environment where everyone can rely on each other.

What is your favorite season and why?
Fall. Best surveying weather in my opinion, and not dying of heat exhaustion getting out of the plane.

Do you have any role models?
My parents are such hard workers that have fought so much. They are an inspiration in so many ways.

What are your future ambitions?
To grow into the best father I could be, to develop into the best husband I can be to my wife, and fulfill my talents and abilities as a person.

Neal Brantner

Aerial Survey Pilot

Tom Sedares

Aerial Survey Pilot

Ethan Rash

Assistant Chief Pilot

Jake Kirschbaum

Aerial Survey Pilot

Jack Dennis

Aerial Survey Pilot

Warren Curley

Aerial Survey Pilot

Carlos Metcalf

Aerial Survey Pilot

Adrian Lopez

Maintenance Coordinator

Peter Makredes

President and Owner

Damian Doig

Chief Pilot

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