PAMELA WARE

I LOVE aviation. The good, the bad and the emergencies. I especially love the emergencies. They are so fun to work!

“It’s thrilling to work a sky full of planes and get everybody down safely – it is the best feeling on the earth.” It’s also terrifying at times. When I make a mistake, someone could pay with their life. I knew I would never survive being responsible for a crash, so I determined I would be the best controller I could be.

My journey as an Air Traffic Controller hasn’t always been smooth sailing. I have experienced the loss of several military and civilian friends to aircraft accidents and the loss of a co-worker to a heart attack while working with me.

I spent 15 years working in England before returning to the States. I worked in Florida, Ohio, and New Mexico before landing in Texas, where I had the opportunity to encourage pilots from the tower and tutor student pilots on the ground. After transitioning from the military to the civilian environment, I began teaching student pilots the art of proper communication with Controllers.

A couple of years ago, after a sudden MS diagnosis made me unable to fly or work in the tower, I took my passion for student pilots and my 39 years of aviation knowledge and began writing radio scenarios. As a certified FAA ATC Instructor, I knew I could help student pilots struggling with Aviation Communication.

Within a week of medically retiring, I was teaching students every day.

My friend, Meridith Killian, a remarkable pilot and a CFII, asked me to tutor some of her students’ experiencing challenges with radio usage.

Four years later, Meridith and I started Aviation Communication Experts. We knew our combined aviation knowledge and skills would help increase aviation safety through excellent communication.

I truly feel, if a pilot learns to communicate accurately and concisely, they increase their safety tenfold. That’s my bottom line. Increase safety.

MERIDITH KILLIAN

Meridith’s aviation journey began ten years ago with a birthday present of an aerobatic thrill ride in a Pitts S2B. She instantly caught the bug. All of you pilots know about THE BUG! She rapidly progressed in her flight training, obtaining her licenses and consistently increasing in safety and skills. Still, she struggled with radios during her private and instrument training and wished there was a program she could use to become more proficient and confident when communicating with ATC.

Obtaining her Flight Instructor certificates, Meridith has taught private, instrument, multi-engine, Tailwheel, and CFI candidates for almost eight years. Her journey with ACE started when she began sending her students, who struggled with radios as she once did, to her friend, Pamela, a retired Air Traffic Controller with 39 years of experience.

Starting an aviation business with Pam makes sense. Although our aviation backgrounds vary, our strengths combine to form a comprehensive and cohesive program where true excellence and success happens. Because we are different, we are better together.

Meridith continues to achieve her lifelong desire to help others reach their aviation goals and obtain something that sometimes seems impossible. And it feels AMAZING.

These days Meridith is flying as a contract pilot, part-time CFI, and a private business owner.

DONALD KILLIAN

Donald has had a lifelong commitment to building and creating. He has the perfect job since he owns a Home improvement and remodeling company.

When the concept of ACE came to fruition, he was overjoyed at the opportunity to put his skillset to work to help promote and market the business.

As our mascot, he created the concept for a full-size, wearable Air Traffic Control Tower. In just over a month, he built the ultimate life-size air traffic control tower to wear to events, complete with a catwalk and lighted rotating beacon. Seeing a 6’4” man housed in an ATC tower is quite eye-catching.

The Tower is an amazing tool we use to engage pilots, controllers, kids, and aviation dreamers to learn about ACE and our extraordinary unique approach to aviation radio communication. Everyone wanting to take pics with the ACE Tower has let Donald know we are heading in the right direction. We aim to make the skies safer for every pilot and passenger.

If it can be done, Donald will make it happen.

JORDAN VAUGHN

Growing up, I always had a passion for aviation, but it was not until college that I considered it as a potential career. Flying seemed like the obvious choice so I looked into a degree in aviation, but the cost was overwhelming. So, instead, I started looking into other jobs related to aviation.

In 2010, I enrolled in an ATC school in Sherman, Texas. After completing the 10-month program, I was certified as a controller at North Texas Regional Airport. I spent the next 6 years working with international student pilots who were training at a local flight school. As anyone new to the field knows, the language of aviation is a difficult art to master, and this was true for both the student pilots and me. This proved to be a great experience and really helped me with learning the jargon of ATC.

In fall 2016, I was hired to work at a federal contract tower in McKinney, Texas. Here I was challenged with the daunting task of working not only the local flight schools, but most of the other flight schools from around the DFW Metroplex. The congested airspace of the DFW class bravo makes it difficult for flight schools to get the practice they need so student pilots found their way to McKinney to complete their training. Combine all of the student training with heavy corporate jet traffic and you have a small class delta airport bursting at the seams. McKinney allowed me to really understand what “busy ATC” was and set a great foundation for me with my new career.

Recently, I made yet another transition in the world of aviation—I transferred from my ATCT position in North Texas to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I have always enjoyed the Southwest and after a few visits to Santa Fe, I set my goal of leaving the familiar and venturing into the mountains of the Southwest. I am excited to see what new things Santa Fe has to offer for me and my family and I am happy to continue my career in ATC.

JON VERHOEV

In 1990, Jon began his Air Traffic Control career as a Navy Controller at Naval Air Station Dallas. He quickly certified in all tower positions; additionally, certifying as a Radar Final Controller. Naval Station Dallas routinely worked 150,000+ annual operations.

In 1994 Jon moved to San Diego, California, and was stationed at Naval Air Station San Clemente Island. Jon obtained Radar Certifications for Arrival, Departure, and Radar Final Controller (RFC) and a fully certified Tower Controller and Facility Watch Supervisor. A significant part of the Navy’s Fleet Training occurs in and around San Clemente Island, with over 149,000 square miles of training range.

In early 1996 Jon was assigned to Naval Air Station Point Mugu as a Facility Watch Supervisor, certified in all tower and Approach control positions. Jon earned his B.S. in Professional Aeronautics with a minor in Aviation Safety from Embry-Riddle University.

In 2000, Jon and his family moved to McKinney, Texas; this became their final home, where they settled down to raise their three kids. Jon began working at McKinney Airport (TKI) soon after. Due to the enormous amount of student traffic and Corporate Jets, TKI became one of Jon’s most challenging jobs.

In 2019 Jon received the Controller of the Year award for Robinson Aviation.

After 31+ years as an Air Traffic Controller, Jon has amassed an impressive number of facility ratings, both military and civilian. He is well known as the best Controller at McKinney since Pamela retired!

Shane Ahern

I became a Private Pilot on Aug 8, 1991, while in high school. I have always loved to fly and also liked the 3-dimensional thinking and terminology in aviation. Communication is vital to Air Traffic. I know many people get intimidated by speaking with the Tower and Approach, but I enjoy that aspect of flying.

SOOOOO! When I graduated college with my first degree and worked in a bank cubicle, you could imagine that I hated it. My Mom noticed that I was miserable and said why don’t you get an aviation gig somehow. Like, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!! LOL.

I visited TLH tower and thought the job was super cool. As with most jobs, I asked, “How did you get hired”? And as with most controllers, the response was, “I don’t know, I was in the military.” But one person said there is this new program called CTI. So I went back to school for a bit, and seven months after graduation, I finished background checks and got hired.

Tack on 25 years, and I have been a Controller Point of Contact for South Florida Metroplex Airspace Design Group, provided multiple years of Runway Safety Presentations, provided Rocket Launch Coordination with Cape Canaveral Supervisor, and now work in the QC Department at Palm Beach International Airport.

I might retire from the FAA soon, but it is a tough decision because it has been good for me. I’m waiting on an Air Traffic Manager gig somewhere.

I have coached and played football; I have one son and two dogs (Lilly and Skipper), both Havanese from Havana!!

Cruising RCCL, surfing, and golf are my favorite sports.