About Matt
My Aviation Story
I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. After I graduated from the Lovett School, I moved to Charleston, SC in 1988 to attend the College of Charleston. In 1992, I moved to Washington, DC.
I had a low-level job working for a Houston-based law firm in their natural gas/energy section. I lived in a townhouse in Falls Church, VA with three friends. We were all fresh out of college, unmarried, and working relatively stress-free jobs. There was plenty to do and we had a lot of fun.
On March 29, 1993, everything changed. I noticed a lump appear over my collarbone. It impacted my breathing a little but I was young and healthy and didn’t think much of it. I checked my neck the following morning and the lump was still there. I called my boss to let him know what I was experiencing and he contacted his doctor to get me an appointment.
The doctor examined my neck and uttered words you never want to hear – “I am going to stop this exam right now. I am not going to write anything down. I must ask you, do you have medical insurance?” I told him I was insured and he continued with his examination. Within 30 seconds he told me his impression — “I believe you have cancer.”
The next several days included a variety of medical tests including x-rays, ct scans, and a biopsy. The result was Hodgkin’s Disease. Chemotherapy started the following week.
My experience with Hodgkin’s Disease is essential to the story because prior to my diagnosis in 1993, I never had the slightest interest in aviation. I am absolutely certain that I would not have learned to fly had I not been diagnosed with cancer.
My treatment involved 6 months of chemotherapy and one month of radiation. Of course, chemotherapy is difficult on your mind and body, but I found that I felt better if I stayed busy. I tried to find activities that would get me out of the house and moving. Sitting at home and watching tv was not helpful.
I cannot remember the exact circumstance, but I was driving around and discovered Gravely Point Park in Arlington, VA. Gravely Point is situated 1000 feet from the threshold of Runway 19 at Washington National Airport. Airliners fly the approach so low that you can feel the jet engines through your body as they pass over. It was exhilarating.
I visited Gravely Point many times and one day I fell into a conversation with a man who had a receiver that allowed him to listen to Air Traffic Control. I asked him a number of questions about what the controllers/pilots were saying to each other and he finally asked me — “Are you a student pilot, or something?” I told him “No” and that I was just passing the time. Later, I left in my car to return to Falls Church and I thought to myself — “Why don’t you learn how to fly?”
I started flying lessons a short time later at Dulles Airport — yes, I learned to fly in a Cessna 152 (two-seat airplane) alongside the Concorde and B-747s. I was hooked and by that I mean I was obsessed. I could not think about anything else.
I accumulated 20 odd hours of flying experience at Dulles and soloed in the Spring of 1994 – after I was cancer free. I earned my private pilot’s license in the Fall of 1994 in Columbia, South Carolina and currently, I am instrument rated with more than 1,700 hours of flying experience.
