Summary:
Personally, I go to websites for media & information. I don’t really need to read their life story to find what I need & make a purchase. I’m in. I’m out. But, aviation is different – especially this small niche of it. Flying machines, parts & services are hard to find. Consequently, there is always an unquenchable thirst for INFORMATION. Because of this, speculation, propaganda & ego’s run rampant in the aviation world. And, maybe it’s a good thing because it drives the value of truly accurate information to premium levels. At TrikeSchool, we typically only sell equipment we know & trust. We also have a perfect safety record over 20 years. We “specialize” in 1 thing – good information. That information (in my opinion) is only as good as where it came from. So, that’s what this page is about.
Introduction:
Finding common bonds with clients is extremely important to us for reasons mainly related to safety. To my knowledge, Denise & I are the highest time Trike Instructors in North America with perfect safety records. We intend to keep it that way for a million reasons but regardless the quality of equipment people fly, various levels of training & experience; safety really starts with who we are. If we have something in common with clients, chances are that we’ll work well together & keep each other safe. In fact, half of our annual revenue is received before we meet a client in person. That typically doesn’t happen without you knowing as much as you can about us – and certainly won’t happen until we know a lot about you. TrikeSchool values trust. In fact, we require an Application to our school but it’s nothing pretentious – just an effort to get to know you before we commit to a business relationship of any kind when gravity is in the equation. And, TrikeSchool can truly only complete about 15 clients per year.
Denise Bio:
Denise is a semi-retired Emergency Room Registered Nurse. She is the former owner of Paradise Air Hawaii and is one of only a few humans in the world holding the credentials of CFI, LSR-M, ROTAX IRMT, Private Pilot in Airplanes – and a perfect safety record. Denise operated Paradise Air Hawaii since 2002 and has flown over 25,000 people in one of the most unforgiving terrain (North Shore of Oahu). Denise is a champion base jumper & expert rated sky diver. If you’re looking for the definition of ‘girl power’ she is it. Denise has many options in the world of aviation so we are extremely proud to have her on our TrikeSchool team.
Den's Bio:
Denny works for a small Development Engineering company. He is an FAA certified aircraft builder, has been flying for over 20 years with over 11,000 hours teaching “in trikes” with a perfect safety record. He was the one of the 1st FAA Certified trike instructors in the country. He currently splits time between Scottsdale, AZ & Spokane, WA. He loves being outside, his family, contract engineering in the marine industry & ‘playing airplane’ as time allows.
History of TrikeSchool :
Denny grew up in a rural farming community where his folks ran a neighborhood auto parts store & helped with a small family farm. He went to a local christian college on a football scholarship. After graduation, he immediately moved to Seattle for a job as a CAD/drafting intern, finished more schooling & earned a development engineer position in the marine industry. He has been a development engineer for the last 17 years.
Like many others, Seattle held his attention for few years & the Cascade Mountains mountains called frequently. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs are born at their desk-job around 3am with visions of something a bit more “alive.” Denny took a year off to ski, climb & see the western United States – mostly places where wheat didn’t grow. In fact, most of his future plans were written on ski lifts. And, since buying an aircraft is obviously the most logical re-investment of retirement funds, that’s what he did. Denny learned to fly in Phoenix, AZ & quickly became an instructor.Â
With a few students under his belt, Denny started his new flight school back in Washington on September 10th, 2001. The next day, the World Trade Center was attacked & the nation’s airspace was closed for the rest of the season.
With the airspace closed in the US, he went to Europe to meet the manufacturers of trikes he was flying. After flying in England, France & Italy, Denny came home & hit the road with the trike just to see if there could be a business opportunity with them. When not pirating wi-fi to complete small engineering projects, Denny started setting the trike up at pretty much any venue in the Northwest that would allow it – and even some that didn’t – which consequently landed him his first many contracts flying for local law enforcement and search & rescue.
The next few years brought interesting projects with IMAX, Sony Pictures, a couple of Hollywood productions and several cable & television projects such as Discovery Channel & Travel Channel. Then, as Homeland Security branched into every facet of aviation, some obscure opportunities materialized with research departments of several ivy league universities. Those projects connected with border patrol & classified projects utilizing small, portable aircraft and UAV/drones. Denny was eventually hired as a consultant for larger more sophisticated projects associated with the military & NSA. The flying had changed. The planes became tools – not toys.
With a push from experience & advice from contractors, it was clear that there was a demand for more capable, portable, utility aircraft. In 2010, Denny partnered with contractors & started developing a Trike that was truly off-field capable. It needed to be durable, easily portable, adaptable to different conditions & easy to maintain in the field. It needed to take after true off-field & high-performance motorsports – not just another bolt-together novelty claiming off-field capability. In 2010, Denny launched Wild Sky Aircraft Company & spent the next 4 years in research & development of a “stubborn” aircraft (and FAA certification process) earning its name, “The Goat”. He had never dreamed of an aircraft this ugly – but it worked. It was a fully welded stainless steel airframe with nitrogen suspension, a turbo charged engine & 30″ tundra tires. In practice & opinions of ADV motorcycle riders, climbers, divers, explorers & general abusers of equipment in the name of purpose, the Goat fit the bill. It had essentially designed itself and it was a tool, not a toy. It was everything we needed & nothing we didn’t. And, as the spec operators said, “the uglier, the better.”
In 2014 Wild Sky achieved FAA recognition as an aircraft manufacturer. The Goat received it’s certification the same year. 28 initial orders for fully built Goats were received by 2016 booking production for the next 3 years but the demand continued & decisions had to be made. In one year, the team developed full Assembly Instructions and Diagrams so the first ever Light Sport Trike “Kit” could be offered to those with average mechanical aptitude & began selling in both the government & private sectors immediately. Today, the Goat is an award-winning aircraft demanded by kit-builders, serious overland adventurers & government operations.
Future of TrikeSchool :
TrikeSchool is a conservative sales, maintenance & training entity for private recreation – as well as extensively modified airborne platforms for municipal & government operations. We can operate on land, sea & snow. Our operations & locations are by appointment only in both WA and AZ. We have all the necessary equipment & capacity to be 100% portable on short notice. While the uses & capabilities of Trikes have changed dramatically in the last 20 years, one thing that hasn’t is their reliability in the right hands.
Our Goals & Objectives:
It is our intention to offer an truly experienced, yet unbiased education of the top 5 brands of trikes & culture that surrounds them. It is our goal to be genuine, trustworthy & fun to work with balance with the risk of sharing the dream of flight with you. It’s our objective to operate as a nationally respected trike operation while developing the culture. At TrikeSchool, we will offer a balanced combination of equipment, education, research & development, and events to people who will appreciate it.
General Vision:
Aviation in general, the ownership of any aircraft, and the participation in the sport is a natural progression through 3 phases.
Phase One: Discovery & Research
Phase Two: Training & Ownership
Phase Three: Support & Affiliation
In Phase One, we focus our energy on promotion, events & warm invitation to who we are and what we do. We will establish ourselves as a fun, yet reliable and predictable resource to the our clients. In Phase Two, TrikeSchool will focus on the Training & Education necessary for the client to make an unbiased & informed decision on an aircraft while we identify the training technique necessary for each unique client. Phase Three of our operation focuses on continuing support & education along with aerotrekking, expeditions, & events both domestic & international. Throughout these phases, we will continue to assist our manufacturers with design improvements & industry development through field reports, competition & testing.
Overall Mission & Purpose:
“Expedition Quality.” With a genuine passion and respect for the sport, it is our mission to promote only the safest, elite quality personal aircraft & services available. We are ultimately committed to the lifestyle and people pursuing the essence of pure adventure, as we do.