We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anthony Hicks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Anthony , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

This is actually where I am right now. This business venture had been an idea for quite some time and the LLC structure was already in place, but I had a full-time job, so the business only did occasional side contract flying. When the full-time job went away (the aircraft owners sold the aircraft), my primary income was now also from contract work. I get plenty of opportunities from the flying side of the business, so my recent focus has been on the educational side through the storm chase trips. I intend for the primary client for these trips to be Veterans. One of the issues I struggled with from my service is that the change to civilian life leaves a void with respect to adrenaline. I think that this is true for many Veterans. My storm chase trips are meant to be a bit more participatory rather than tourism-based. Preparing for a storm chase has some similarities to preparing for battle. Other clientele would be anybody who is truly interested in learning about severe weather and ultimately becoming a trained storm spotter. Perhaps my largest barrier towards getting these tours operating smoothly will be getting that word out (marketing). The initial chase (Beta Test) is set for May!

Anthony , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into aviation fairly early in life and flew fighters for the US Navy for 8 years. Since leaving the Navy, I have flown as an airline pilot, corporate pilot, instructor pilot, and also helped get the Cirrus SF 50 (Vision Jet) certified through the last phase of flight testing. Along the way, I worked my way through a Master’s Degree in Geological Science (with a minor in meteorology), Towards the end of that Master’s Program, we did a storm chase. I have since done several chases on my own and now do annual chases with other experienced chasers and also attend the National Storm Chaser Summit annually.
I fly a Dessault Falcon 50EX as a contract corporate job, but also offer contract pilot, instructor, and FAA Part 135 (charter) check airman contract services. One of my cherished instructor roles is to train other pilots to become adept using onboard weather radar. That keeps them much safer when operating in close proximity to convective weather.
I will also soon begin offering educational storm chase trips, with significant discounts for veterans.

Have you ever had to pivot?

So, my dream from early childhood was to become an astronaut. I spent much of my life doing the arduous things that are required to qualify for the program, such as military aviation and obtaining a Master’s in Science. I also taught both Geology and Meteorology at the University level. Despite qualifying for the program, I was not selected (I applied twice). So, I had to find another way to satisfy high ambitions.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have found the journey to be quite rocky. Even the aviation industry itself, prior to Entrepreneurship, was quite the challenge at times. Despite having far more than the required certifications and education than was required for many jobs, others would always seem to obtain the few available jobs. The cost of education was another challenge, and I only paid my student loans off a few years ago. At one point (living in Austin, TX), I had 5 part-time jobs. I saw an ad for an instructor job in Duluth, MN for a not yet certified Cirrus Vision Jet and applied to that. That job got me slowly going back on track, though the road has still been rocky. I have never really been satisfied just being told what to do and then do it. That really lacks creativity and I always feel very unfulfilled in any corporate environment., So, the Entrepreneurial path is a better way for me to go. This path, however, has its own friction at seemingly every turn. Marketing has been no easy venture for me. Fortunately I have met some good people from reaching out to the small business help centers in Knoxville who helped me get branding, web site design and hosting, and social media marketing. I am trying to put the right tools on the jobs. I know that I am no marketing or social media guru, so this frees me to focus on my flying, teaching, and meteorology skills. Now, I am about to have my LLC fund and build up a storm chase vehicle for that side of the business and I am lining up my first clients for the first business chase!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.deepblueadventureandaviation.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=615602211450318mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-hicks-0