Attention, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. Fasten your seat belts as we prepare your dreams to take off. Hi, I’m Joe, your captain for today’s dream flight. I created this presentation on my plane house to inspire and encourage you in your dream journey. I hope you find it entertaining, fun, and motivating.

So, what is the definition of a dream? It’s something we aspire to, an ideal. It’s not the nightmare we had last night.

And so, what does it cost to dream? It’s absolutely free, and you can have as many dreams as you want. That’s how it all started for me.

At 13, I watched a TV show called The Magician with Bill Bixby. In the show, he used his magical skills to solve crimes, and at the end, he would drive his Corvette into the back of his airplane, which served as his private residence, and fly to the next city to help solve another crime. Bill Bixby later became famous for roles in shows like The Incredible Hulk, My Favorite Martian, and The Courtship of Eddie's Father. I was captivated by magic, Corvettes, and airplanes and decided that someday I would make that dream a reality. Although I didn’t know exactly how or when, I could feel the 'why'.

I asked my dad to teach me how to fly, and his response was, 'Okay, let’s build an airplane!' So, we worked on a project we named the Skycycle. I’m excited to have these slides from years ago, showing me at age 14, just after getting out of the pool. My dad said, 'Let’s take some pictures to work out the measurements.' Although the Skycycle never got off the ground, building it was a lot of fun.

I started working weekends at the flea market which allowed me to pay for my medical certificate and airplane rental.

Here’s the first page of my logbook from 1977. While you only need 40 hours to obtain a license, I accumulated nearly 100 hours because I needed to reach the 18 year old minimum age requirement.

Got my Private Pilot's License at 18.

A few years later, I earned my instrument rating at 26. Now, I’m able to fly from point A to point B without needing to see the ground.

At the age of 44, I resurrected the Skycycle and began using it as a prone bike, covering thousands of miles on charity rides. Although I also built the wings, the plane never got off the ground because the engine was too heavy.

On April Fool's Day 2011, after 23 years of marriage, I started a new chapter I call Project Freedom. To make it happen, I bought property at an airport community called Sport Flyers. It’s similar to a golf course community, but instead of playing golf, we 'putt putt' through the air. I purchased two acres at the top right corner of the airport.

Next, I needed an airplane. What better place to buy one than at a mall? I found it at Sawgrass Mills in Florida, in a section called Wannado City for kids. The plane had a cockpit completely renovated to look brand new from 1979. It took nearly a year to get it out of the mall.

Since it took so long to get Spirit out of the mall, I bought another airplane in the meantime from Arkansas. This is the one I’m living in now.

To start your dream, grab a sheet of paper and write down your dream, giving it a name. Then, add today’s date and sign it. By dating your dream it transforms into a goal.

Now, take action every day to get one step closer to living your dream. Make it a goal to stop by and share your dream with me.