Welcome Message From Our Founder & CEO
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Hello, Pilots.
I want to take a moment to thank all of you for joining Walker Air Transport and embarking on this journey. My life in flight simulation started around 1998 when Flight Simulator 98 hit the market, followed by the addition of home-quality (they were okay) flight yokes/throttles, etc. to my setup. Shortly after that, VATSIM was founded and it completely changed the experience. As I grew up, moved around, joined the Army and went to college, I slowly left behind the simulation world and took on other hobbies, though I never gave up my passion and love for flying. I left the U.S. Army in 2006 after serving multiple tours in Iraq, went to college and started my professional career in IT.
In 2012, I began working on my Private Pilot License at Genesis Flight Academy in Georgetown, Texas. It was an incredibly amazing experience and confirmed simulator practice does truly help you learn. I built up about 20 hours of flight time before I was asked to relocate to Pennsylvania for work. It was a difficult decision to make, but I ended my training and moved to start a new chapter in my life. This experience furthered my career, introduced me to my wife and brought me to Florida. My wife and I live at the beach with our 2 dogs (and a cat). As life settled down, though, I began getting back into flight simulators and building my home setup. I looked into local flight schools and took a few flights to see if I still had it in me – which I did. I have a 5-year plan that involves finishing my private license and starting on the other licenses required. My goal is to continue in IT and do this – teaching and discovery flights – on the side. It will be a slow roll, but in the end, I want it to be my retirement plan – my escape from corporate America. I’d be content just flying puddle jumpers to the Keys or Bahamas from here – and living in Florida, I’m in the perfect place for it.
So, how did Walker Air Transport come to be?
Walker is my last name, and let’s be honest – I love my career and what I do. However, if I could’ve done it differently, I would likely have started my own private airline (even if it was only a couple of Cessna 172s). And that’s why I created Walker Air Transport. I began by creating liveries for my company. They were well-received on social media, frequently prompting questions about how they could be acquired. That got me thinking about how I could build a community with purpose. I didn’t want to just upload my liveries to a site and let folks download them – I wanted to bring people into a community and give them a platform to fly together as Walker Air Transport.
In 2019, I decided to build a virtual airline named Walker Air Transport and accepted it would be a challenge – a challenge because very few virtual airlines not based on a real-world counterpart succeed. However, I wasn’t letting that stop me! I began coding the platform and adding on to what was required; scheduled system, cargo system and charter system. A dedicated group of Founders helped me guide the platform in the direction that would enable every Pilot to enjoy it. Features were implemented taking the difficult business of running a virtual airline and automating them. Walker Air Transport was created with the Pilot in mind. At the end of the day, by offering great features and functional flexibility, you can truly enjoy it and have fun!
As you read our Policies & Procedures Documents, I’d like you to reflect on our Mission and Values and think about the impact you make. If you ever have a question or a need, my door is always open.
Thank you – and happy flying!
Storm Walker
Founder & CEO