Mike received his flight training at UND Aerospace at the University of North Dakota. While at UND, Mike instructed both primary and advanced students to include U.S. Army ROTC and West Point cadets, as well as contract commercial pilots from Saudi Arabia. Prior to UND and Wings Air, Mike was a mechanic in the U.S. Air Force and attended the U.S. Air Force Academy. He holds a B.B.A. in Aviation Management.