Meet Anthony (Tony) Hicks | Aviator, adventure traveler, and storm chaser

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony (Tony) Hicks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony (Tony), what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
This reaches back some time ago to when I was a Naval Aviator. A colleague/friend and I had discussed starting a flying and SCUBA business together. That is not the business model with this business and I am going this alone, but those dreams never really left. More recently, I have wanted to combine aviation and other adventures and I am not very satisfied in the corporate environment. I have no freedom to be creative or follow ideas there. Despite the many obstacles (and there are very many) in starting and growing a business, I still feel more free to follow my own path than I do working for someone else.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is partly set up to continue doing what I was doing for other businesses and corporations, but I now contract to businesses as well as individuals. This is to say that I contract pilot services to businesses in several pilot roles. I fly a Falcon Jet for some more scheduled travel for the owner of that aircraft. I also perform mentor pilot roles for owners of Cirrus Vision Jet aircraft. Many of these owners are trained to fly their aircraft but many of them seek more advanced training such as operating their aircraft in mountainous terrain (such as Vail, CO or Jackson Hole, WY) or operating around and through challenging weather conditions such as icing or convective activity. The latter entails learning how best to leverage the on-board weather radar.
The other component of my business is to offer storm chase tours. My business is a veteran owned business and (particularly with this facet of the business) I seek to offer significant discounts for veterans to go out on these trips. I believe that these trips might help with the loss of adrenaline that accompanies leaving military service and/or combat situations. I also plan to train those who would go on these tours to help with the process (such as interpreting weather radar, navigation, etc). It is my hope that these things will reacquaint veterans with the feel of planning and carrying out a combat operation but in a way that helps to further understanding as well as scientific knowledge in general. Storm chasing provides “ground truth” and significantly helps the National Weather Service co-locate radar observed tornadoes with actual observations in the field.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of the main reasons that I live where I do is because I live within easy riding distance to well over 55 miles of mountain bike trails, called the “Urban Wilderness.” Assuming they are up for some riding, we would spend much of the day enjoying the trails. After that, we could cool off in my swim spa and grill something. Then, it is always a good time to take my dog (Buddy, who is nearing 14) to one of the local pubs for a couple of micro brews. It is expected, or even mandatory, that I bring Buddy with me. That is one of the main reasons why we enjoy those spots. There are other fun activities about such as kayaking should we wish to change it up a bit.
It is also nice to take the telescope up to the Norris Lake area, especially since there are also good mtn bike trails there and plenty of kayak options.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am not certain that there is any one person in particular completely responsible for helping me to steer in this direction, but more of a continual influence of people and environmental factors. Some of my early flight instructors, science professors (geology and meteorology), and having opportunities to engage with some adventurous people from the past such as James Lovell and Gene Cernan help me to realize that difficult things can be achieved. These engagements also helped me realize that it is more important that certain things are done in the effort to help further science or other pursuits rather than merely doing things for personal “achievement” or adrenaline.

Website: https://www.deepblueadventureandaviation.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-hicks-081b90279

Image Credits
Anthony Hicks
Wes Carter