Extreme Flight Hooked By A Stall

Patrick McAlee, airline pilot, airshow pilot extraordinaire and owner of Extreme Flight, experienced his first flight at the tender age of five years old when his father rented an Aeronca Champ to fly to the EAA AirVenture Fly-in at OshKosh. He did a stall, which Patrick says he still remembers vividly! It both scared and hooked him at the same time!

That is when he met with and was inspired by airshow pilot Sean D. Tucker. Over the years he and his father continued to fly and Patrick continued to log hours in every single plane he could get his hands on. By the age of 12 he was determined to become a professional pilot. Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Patrick was inspired by his father and uncle who were both airline pilots. He started flying every opportunity possible and by the time he was 16 Patrick was saving for his first aircraft.

“When I was about 7, I experienced my first roll in our Skybolt, and by the age of 12, I was reading flight lesson books. Dad would teach me lessons in those books, and I would apply them to the airplanes he was working on at the time,” he says.

He got his pilot’s license at the age of 17, a commercial license and flight instructor rating followed a year later. At the age of 23, Pat received his A&P license and was hired on by Republic Airlines with whom he is still flying. Patrick was upgraded to Captain within a few years on the EMB-145 and in 2013 became a captain on the EMB-170/175.

From airline pilot to aerobatics

While working at the airline, Patrick enrolled at the Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety with Sean D Tucker and started competing in aerobatics. Soon after, he transitioned his high energy routine to airshows. For five years Patrick continued to compete and worked hard; placing top-ten in the nation each and every time.