David C. "Chris" McMartin

Instrument-rated Commercial ASEL/AMEL Pilot in the Greater Houston Area

Link to Downloadable 1-page Resume (PDF)

Hello everyone!  I’m a retired US Air Force navigator and current high school JROTC instructor making the transition back to the aviation community.  My official one-page resume is linked above, but I want to provide additional information about my background and experience on this page for prospective employers.

What separates me from other candidates for your next pilot hire? 

• I have worldwide experience as a military navigator, flight planning into a variety of airspace, terrain, and weather conditions. 
• I wasn’t a “get my ratings as quickly as possible” pilot.  Once I earned my Private Pilot Certificate, I spent a few years actually enjoying it before seeking additional ratings.
• I’m not a “build time flying in the pattern” pilot.  I have flown to 118 airports in Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, including 67 of them at night.  I have over 400 hours of cross-country time (265 of which are legs greater than 50NM). 
• I’m not a “comfortable only flying my favorite tail number” pilot.  I have flown 21 tail numbers of Piper Cherokee (PA-28-140, -151, -161, and -180 models), 8 tail numbers of Cessna 172 (including the original “straight tail” variant and 172H, K, M, P, and S models), 2 tail numbers of Cessna 182 (J and T models), the Diamond Star DA40, the Piper PA-23-106 Apache/Geronimo, and the Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II.
• I am comfortable with both “steam gauges” and digital displays.  I have experience with Garmin systems to include G430/530, G5 (single and dual), and G1000. 

I was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and lived near both sets of grandparents.  My maternal grandfather served a tour in the Air Force as an F-86 mechanic and later became a Private Pilot, owning a Beechcraft Sundowner in which I had my first flying experience.  My paternal grandfather was a mechanic in the Army Air Corps during World War II, then continued to serve in the Oklahoma Air National Guard into the 1970s.  He was also a volunteer with the Commemorative Air Force and I attended many airshows, developing a fondness for the “warbirds.”  Between my two grandfathers I had a lot of exposure to aviation from an early age and developed a strong desire to serve my country.

I attended the US Air Force Academy, graduating and commissioning in 1995.  While at USAFA I was able to solo in the Schweizer 2-33 glider and Cessna T-41 (a military 172).  I earned a navigator slot and joined the first class of USAF navigators to attend joint training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.  While there, I flew between 25 and 30 hours as a pilot, and the same amount as a navigator, in the Beech T-34C Turbo Mentor.  From there, I tracked to the “heavy nav” training pipeline and completed my training at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas as the top graduate in my class. 

Having first pick of airframes, I chose the Lockheed C-141B Starlifter, in which I was able to travel the world, visiting all seven continents (yes, including Antarctica, as part of Operation DEEP FREEZE).  I upgraded to Instructor Navigator and Formation Lead, responsible for accurate time control and leading 12-ship formations across drop zones for troops and equipment.  As the Starlifters were gradually retired from active duty, I transferred back to Randolph AFB as a navigator schoolhouse instructor.  Once I completed that tour, I transitioned into the Lockheed C-130 Hercules at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas.  In that aircraft I completed four short (2-4 month) deployments to the Middle East and Africa, flying 101 combat missions and leading a special reconnaissance detachment. 

By then, I had completed the 12 years of aviation duty the Air Force desires, amassing over 3,000 hours including more than 600 combat hours and 864 hours of instructor/evaluator time in three different airframes.  I then moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to attend a year-long graduate-level school with the Army.  I elected to stay there as faculty, becoming an Assistant Professor in both the Air Force Element and the Department of Joint, Interagency, and Multinational Operations.

I retired from active duty in 2015 and moved directly into my current position as the Senior Aerospace Science Instructor for Air Force Junior ROTC at The Woodlands High School, The Woodlands, Texas.  In this role I teach aviation history, drone operations, wilderness survival, fitness, and leadership to grades 9 through 12 during the school day.  After school and on weekends, I coach our Academic, Orienteering, and Drone competitive teams, and oversee our full-motion flight simulator (operated and maintained by our cadets). 

After retiring from the Air Force, I realized how much I missed being immersed in the aviation community, and decided to earn my Private Pilot Certificate.  Being a full-time high school teacher 11 hours a day and most Saturdays didn’t offer me much time, so I accomplished my training during my summer break in 2018.  A few months after doing so, I began flying young people through the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program, including many of our JROTC cadets.  I’m happy to report many of those cadets have gone on to careers in aviation, including instructing locally and flying for Atlas Air and the US Air Force.

I’ve poured my heart and soul into teaching, coaching, and mentoring my cadets for the past nine years, but am now returning to my first love—aviation and flying.  I plan to continue teaching to finish out this school year (May 2025) which will make it a full ten years.  However, if a prospective employer can offer a flexible schedule, I could be available as early as January 2025 since I will be taking 2-3 days of leave weekly.

 

 

My contact information is in my downloadable PDF resume.  I look forward to hearing from you!