All posts in Astronauts / Aviators

Mike Mullane

By | 05/2011 | Astronauts / Aviators, BUSINESS, CELEBRITIES, Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, MOTIVATION / INSPIRATION, Overcoming Obstacles, Spouse Programs, Success, Teamwork | Comments Off
Mike Mullane

As a veteran of the earliest flights of the American Space Shuttle program, Mike Mullane has seen the world from a perspective that few people have ever experienced directly but that inspires a deep sense of wonder in all of us. Mullane shares his experiences with audiences both young and old in his hallmark multi-media presentation, “Stories from Space.” A prolific writer and speaker since his retirement from the space program in 1990, his contributions range from the popular, fact-filled “Do Your Ears Pop in Space?” to the award winning children’s book, “Liftoff! An Astronaut’s Dream.” Read more…

Jessica Cox

By | 03/2011 | Astronauts / Aviators, BUSINESS, Courage, Disability Issues, Great Achievers, HEALTH / WELLNESS, HUMAN RESOURCES, Inspiration, Inspiring Lives, Motivation - Non Sports, MOTIVATION / INSPIRATION, Overcomers / Adversity, Overcoming Obstacles, Spouse Programs | Comments Off
Jessica Cox

Jessica is recognized internationally as an inspirational keynote speaker. Born without arms, Jessica now flies airplanes, drives cars and otherwise lives a normal life using her feet as other use their hands. She holds the title of the first person without arms in the American Taekwondo Association to get a black belt and the Guinness World Record for being the first armless person in aviation history to earn a pilot’s certificate. Convinced that the way we think has a greater impact on our lives than our physical constraints, she chose to pursue a degree in psychology while in college at the University of Arizona. Read more…

Charlie Plumb

By | 01/2011 | Astronauts / Aviators, Authors, BUSINESS, CELEBRITIES, Heroes, HUMAN RESOURCES, Inspiring Lives, Leadership, MOTIVATION / INSPIRATION, Overcomers / Adversity, Patriotism, SPORTS, Teamwork | Comments Off
Charlie Plumb

A testament to the strength of the human spirit, Charles Plumb endured the most extreme hardship and used the experience to transform his life in a profound way. In an emotional and inspiring presentation, Plumb tells the story of his survival as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for nearly six years—locked in solitary confinement and routinely tortured in an 8′ x 8′ dirt floor cell. Having overcome loneliness, fear, pain and depression, he puts audiences’ difficulties into perspective and inspires them to meet their own obstacles head-on, no matter how tough they appear. Plumb is a living testimony to how overcoming adversity can propel us beyond self-imposed limits, making us stronger and more confident. He motivates audiences to see the opportunities in the challenges they face and to tap into their inner strength to live life to the fullest. Read more…

John Foley

By | 01/2011 | Astronauts / Aviators, BUSINESS, Leadership, Motivation, Motivation - Non Sports, MOTIVATION / INSPIRATION, Peak Performance, SPORTS | Comments Off
John Foley

John Foley inspires with lessons from the Navy’s elite Blue Angels flying team, whose core values are the key to world-class performance in any field. As lead solo pilot of the heralded Blue Angels, Foley consistently performed as part of the team in an intense, high-stakes environment. Reaching that level of excellence required commitment, discipline and trust. Using Blue Angel methodology as a model, Foley has developed a unique approach that equips others to make the same journey toward excellence in execution. His message and personal stories, delivered with his trademark enthusiasm and charisma, emphasizes principles of trust, alignment, clarity and commitment, positioning individuals and teams to achieve and sustain higher levels of excellence than they ever dreamed possible. Foley has served as an adviser to Fortune 500 corporations, professional athletic teams, venture capital companies, professional associations and educational organizations and successfully connects the high intensity of the Blue Angles with your organization. Read more…

Gerald Coffee

By | 01/2011 | Astronauts / Aviators, BUSINESS, Change, Communication, Ethics / Values, Heroes, Inspiration, Leadership, Military Leaders, Motivation - Non Sports, MOTIVATION / INSPIRATION, Overcomers / Adversity, Personal Development | Comments Off
Gerald Coffee

In February of 1966, while flying combat missions over North Vietnam, Gerald Coffee’s RA5-C reconnaissance jet was downed by enemy fire. He parachuted safely but was captured immediately. For the next seven years he was held as a POW in the Communist prisons of North Vietnam. After his repatriation in February, 1973, Jerry returned to operation duties. He retired from active duty in the Navy after 28 years of service. In his message of going Beyond Survival, Jerry draws not only from insights derived from the prison experience, but also from the perspective of his unique experiences since then: Read more…

Denny Fitch

By | 01/2011 | Astronauts / Aviators, Heroes, Motivation, Teamwork | Comments Off
dennyfitch

On July 19, 1989, Captain Denny Fitch was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 232, simply returning home after a week at his job as a pilot trainer in Denver, enjoying the ride at 37,000 feet. That was until a catastrophic failure in one of the engines cut all hydraulic controls in the plane – a problem so unthinkable that there was no procedure for dealing with it. Fitch volunteered his assistance to the cockpit, and with Capt. Al Haynes and the rest of the flight crew, guided the plane to Sioux City, Iowa without the use of any of the systems required to control the plane. Although one-hundred-twelve perished in the terrifying crash landing, one-hundred-eighty-four people survived because of the incredible teamwork and leadership of the flight crew and the control tower team. Fitch was commended by President George Bush and in Senate Resolution 174 of the 101st Congress for his outstanding effort, poise and courage in assisting the crew in a difficult emergency landing at Sioux City. Captain Fitch is now a safety consultant to NASA as a member of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and has also been inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Read more…

Dick Rutan

By | 01/2011 | Adventure, Astronauts / Aviators, BUSINESS, Entrepreneurs, HUMAN RESOURCES, Motivation, SPORTS, Teambuilding | Comments Off
Dick Rutan

As a Tactical Air Command fighter pilot during most of his two decades in the Air Force, Dick Rutan flew 325 combat missions in Vietnam, 105 of them as a member of a high-risk classified operation commonly known as the “MISTY’s.” While on his last strike reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam in September of 1968, his aircraft was hit by enemy ground fire, and he was forced to eject from his burning F-100. Rutan evaded enemy capture and was later rescued by the Air Force’s “Jolly Green Giant” helicopter team. After retirement, Dick and his brother Burt formed Rutan Aircraft Factory, where Dick flew the test flight development programs of many military and civilian experimental aircraft and set numerous world speed and distance records. In the early 80s, he founded Voyager Aircraft, Inc. and on the morning of December 14, 1986, Voyager took off, landing nine days, three minutes and forty four seconds later at Edwards Air Force Base in California, successfully completing the six-year quest. The Voyager is now proudly suspended in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s “Milestones of Flight” gallery in Washington, D.C. Dick Rutan is also proud to be a governing member of the emerging space tourism industry. He formed an enterprise called Voyager Aerospace Corporation and has several projects emerging with this company – two of them are unique aircraft. Since Voyager’s world flight, Dick Rutan has been traveling the world, speaking to audiences and sharing his tales of the magnificent Voyager project and of his other adventures. The Voyager story is one of tremendous courage, vision and adventure and is often referred to as “aviation’s last first.” Read more…

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