Charles grew up boating and playing on Lake Martin. When he reached the age of 16, he became intrigued with the idea of flying because driving was just not fun enough. He found a job parking cars to pay for his training at Bessemer Airport. He became a private pilot just after his 17th birthday. It wasn't long before the idea of seaplanes began to interest him (he had seen a float plane parked at a dock near Willow Point for years and thought it was extremely cool). Unfortunately, there were no means to actually accomplish float flying at the time. In 1996 he bought his first airplane, a 1966 Cessna 206, on wheels. In this airplane he achieved his instrument rating and had many adventures.
