Becoming an astronaut was my childhood dream, since before I first learned to fly gliders in a tiny field in southern Alberta. As a son of immigrants to Canada, that dream seemed impossible and out of this world, but I did finally reach space in June 2024. I piloted Virgin Space Ship Unity to an altitude of 54.4 miles above the Earth and a speed of Mach 3 to become the first Canadian to fly a winged rocket ship to space.

That flight was the apogee of a life spent in the cockpit, first as a fighter pilot, then as an experimental test pilot, in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. I have accumulated more than 5,500 hours in over 70 aircraft (and counting!), including the F-16 Viper, CF-18 Hornet, Tornado GR4, and F-15 Eagle. Along the way, I have contributed to diverse teams that worked to address the most complex technical challenges. Together, we developed and pushed the limits of high-performance vehicles and systems in some of the most demanding environments imaginable.

Engineering degrees at the Royal Military College of Canada and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology provided me with a world-class technical background. These skills helped me to contribute to audacious aerospace programs. Having a thirst for knowledge and a desire to understand better the ways in which ambitious ideas take flight and become meaningful innovations, I decided to return to school and earned an MBA from the Wharton School in 2025, where I was named a Palmer Scholar. Post-Wharton, I find that my curiosity increasingly draws me towards the world of innovation and investment, to the people building the next generation of aerospace, defense, and frontier technologies.

The patches below represent some of the fondest memories that I have from my flying career. Flipping through them is a fun way for me to relive some pretty amazing experiences, and the highs and lows that come with the territory. As a child, many of these patches represented my dreams… now they’re on my wall or flight suit.