Lisa - Owner

THERE AND BACK AGAIN:

By Lisa Hughes  

I don’t know why that’s the title, it just sounded right. I started off in Pasa-get down-dena, Texas and I haven’t wandered too far since. The main reason is because I have a great family here and I love Houston. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel and learning about different cultures. That’s why I like Houston, it is packed with diversity.  I have never lived outside of Texas.

I’ve worked as a registered nurse in Houston as well as Austin and San Antoniofor the last 25 years. I am currently working as a Senior Clinical Research Specialist at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

I met Scott about 9 years ago while rollerblading pub-to-pub at night with a group of those “diverse” people. We share a lot of the same interests as well as life philosophies and he makes me laugh. One of the things I love about him the most is his love affair with the sky. Scott is an accomplished pilot who has always had his head in the clouds. I, on the other hand, am a very grounded person.  However, the first time I flew in a powered parachute I was hooked.

Scott has taught me how to communicate with the wind, and in return, I have helped to keep him grounded. Together we are fulfilling our dream of creating an aviation business.  I am now the proud owner of Hughes Aero Corp and I am looking forward in the direction we are heading as we aim for the sky.  

Scott - CEO

A Short bio about myself… 

From a very small age I found myself always looking up at a plane or a bird when they would fly over. I also found myself building all kinds of contraptions in an attempt to fly. (Some were much better than others) At 8 years old my Cub Scout den got to take advantage of Cessna’s intro flight program. It would later become EAA’s Young Eagle program. It was wonderful looking out at all of the sights like a bird.

At 15 years old I got my very first taste of flying myself: "I SKYDIVED". Not exactly how most people begin their love affair with the sky but it made sense with some of the antics we tried to pull as kids such as jumping off of the roof with my mom’s sheets. Since then, I have been lucky enough to jump thousands of times, teach well over 1000 students and also share the thrill of skydiving through tandem jumping. (Tandem skydives are where two people jump under one parachute).

For many years I did demonstration jumps all over the country for Budweiser, Coke, radio and TV stations, etc., at air shows, rodeos, auto races, football games, etc. I still can't believe they paid me to do this in my spare time. I haven't jumped in a few years and yes I am going through withdrawal.

At 17 I began flying lessons and I received my private pilot license after I turned 18. Since then I haven't looked back. I have a commercial, instrument, single/multi engine flight instrument instructor, Sport Pilot Instructor rating, AFI, UFIE, EIEIO. (just kidding about the last one). With thousands of hours of flying time I still enjoy flying anything I can get my hands on and gets me up in the air.  

Most of my adult life I have worked in the medical field marketing cardiac related products. Several years ago my beautiful bride (Lisa) and I decided to start sharing our love of the sky with others. Lisa is a BSN working at the MD Anderson Cancer Hospital as a research analyst. She is also Chairman of the Board of Hughes Aero, Corp.  We decided to become a PPC dealer and start training again. So we formed Chute the Breeze. We took on several lines such as Harmening, Destiny, Powrachute, etc.  Chute the Breeze has trained over 585 solo pilots to date and we have loved every minute of it.

I have been very fortunate in this sport. I was able to travel to China and teach  a group of Chinese to fly and assemble planes. They are wonderful people to deal with. I have attended most of the major flyin’s and met some wonderful people. However the ultimate road trip for me is still touring the southwestern states on our way to the Sky Trails Ranch (Dressing) Flyin with my friend Fredrick Scheffel. Flying by the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Meteor Crater, etc, is unbelievable. Words just cannot describe the scenery in God’s creation that we saw.

About 4 years ago we made the decision to make a big leap and begin designing and manufacturing our own plane. Hughes Air Aviation, LLC and the "Predator" were born. It has been a battle but we are finally at the point of full market release. It has been very satisfying to me personally to have a pilot get into the “Predator”, test fly it, have them land and just say, WOW. Safety and performance were our design goal from the start.  I think we hit a home run with it. 

Shelly - Office Manager / Marketing Person

Shelly is more of a road scholar than a degreed university graduate.  Her life experiences and positive attitude have served her well.  She has been: a bank teller, store clerk, grocery clerk, waitress, bartender, receptionist, secretary, dental assistant, office manager, floor manager, display manager, cake decorator, floral decorator, car salesman, college student, mother and wife.  Most of these things she did or does well, and enjoyed(s) most of them.

Working for Hughes Aero, Corp. is very rewarding for her.  She currently serves as the Office Manager, but who can manage Scott!?  She just tries to keep up! She say’s, “There is so much fun rolled into our day I have to have my family pop in at the end of the day to remind me to go home”.    Nine months before she got the job, she actually prayed that the company would grow to the point that she could be hired, and it happened!  Shelly and Scott rival on who has the most optimistic attitude, it’s a little scary to think, if the whole place was on fire, they would both just be so happy it’s warm!

Teddy - The Actual CEO

I am Theodore Sebastian Bach. or Teddy for short. My Heritage is, Mother pure white; Seba Inu, Father; Border collie. I have been training my owners, Scott and Lisa Hughes, for many years now and they seem to have a real hold on what I am teaching them. Currently, I am letting them think they are in charge even though I am the true Chief Executive Officer. My hope is that when I grow old and retire, I can hand the family business down to Scott and Lisa.

For now, call me directly if you have any questions!

Wuffy out,

Teddy