ABOUT THE AUTHOR

                         

 

             

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1965

               1967            

                   

1970's

John David Moore was born and raised in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern California and managed to return to his deep roots in Plumas County after a seventeen-year hiatus. His practical flight experience of 29,000 pilot hours in 51 years spans a wide range of activities, including flight instruction and charter, pioneering Alaskan bush airline flying, fire bombing, crop dusting, movie stunts and air shows, and now college Anthropology instructor.
He has piloted craft ranging from lumbering four-engine, fire-breathing monsters to silently soaring gliders and everything in between. From heavy, working biplanes to elegant tail draggers that are every collector's dream, Johnny's experiences range from down-and-dirty dangerous to the stuff of pure adolescent fantasy. And his life has veered from flat-out failure to memorable personal and emotional success.

Johnny, and his wife, Judy, are the founders and proprietors of Sugarpine Aviators, a Mom-and-Pop aviation company, established at Quincy, California's Gansner Airfield in 1977. The operation includes tail-dragger flight instruction, dual instruction in our various  plus aircraft rental, charter, and now, publishing. 

Johnny was the  Manager of Gansner Airfield for the County of Plumas for 17 years. and the Chester Airport for a time as well, until his resignation in 1995. 

Publications that he has authored include Belief System Components and Their Interrelationships, a master's thesis, California State University, Chico, 1972, 100 pages. "Crop-dusting by Starlight," AOPA Pilot, January, 1976. "Goosed," Flying Magazine, May 1977. His first book was Breaking into Agricultural Aviation, a self-published technical manual, 1976, 143 pages. This was followed by the 400 page true classic aviation adventure I Must Fly! This title is in its second printing. This work was followed a 400 page historical work following family pioneers, adventure, war and air disasters he named Family Centennial. More recently he has produced a sequel to I Must Fly! book called The Way I Fly!  This was produced as a CD on Microsoft Word and includes lots of pictures.
 Johnny studied  Jujitsu and is a 2nd degree Black Belt. He now heads up his own Sugarpine Aviators Martial Arts (in addition to flight instruction) at Sugarpine Aviators.

 

                                                                      

 

 He holds a Masters Degree in Anthropology, lifetime teaching credentials in Aviation and  Anthropology and has taught both at the college level. He holds  the following Airman ratings:

 

Airline Transport Pilot, Single and Multiengine Land

Commercial Pilot, Single Engine Sea, Glider
Certified Flight Instructor: Airplane Single and Multiengine, Instrument, Glider
Airframe and Power plant Mechanic, Inspection Authorization
Journeyman Agricultural Pilot, California and Nevada

For 25 years Johnny was an FAA Designated Examiner for the Private, Commercial and Instrument Ratings, Initial Certified Flight Instructor, CFI renewal and reinstatement, CFI-Instrument, CFI-Multiengine and ATP. (Now retired from those duties).

   September, 2007 - Johnny finally achieved his dream - he owns and flies an 8F Luscombe!
                                                            Wahoo!! 

 

(PRESS FOR TAIL DRAGGER TRAINING)

                                                           
 

 
SUGARPINE AVIATORS
Gansner Airfield
70 Spanish Creek Road, P.O. Box 1450
Quincy, CA 95971
phone   530-283-2600
 		  
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