The Story of Mike Ridgeway

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them

One of the biggest sacrifices anyone can make is to join the military to serve their country. But going back to school and training for a dangerous job, well, that's no small task either. Michael Ridgeway, a 36-year-old Army veteran did exactly that though. He took a chance to enter a new career that would change his life forever.

"I had seen Upper Limit billboards in Fayetteville, North Carolina and I called them," Mike recalls. After joining the Upper Limit program to become a helicopter pilot, Mike was more determined than ever to succeed. "I tried joining the ranks in the military aviation field but due to medical reasons resulting from previous deployments I didn't qualify." Now, with the opportunity to follow his dreams, he wasn't going to back away from the challenge.

There's more to becoming a pilot than cracking open textbooks. There is hands on training, tough requirements, and unseen obstacles both in the air and on the ground. But with the right attitude, Mike is breaking down obstacles and is nearly ready to enter the field of his dream job.

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Cracking the books to follow a dream. Despite the fact that it is in Americas top five most dangerous jobs there are newcomers each day that decided they are ready to take on the adventure of flying. It is no surprise that for a job that can be this dangerous the training and requirements are stringent and not for the faint-hearted. Michael Ridgeway a 36-year-old army veteran decided that he would take the challenging training head on. Mike Ridegway - ULA Student

“I tried joining the ranks in the military aviation field but due to medical reasons resulting from previous deployments I didn’t qualify,” said Michael. “I had seen Upper Limit billboards in Fayetteville, North Carolina and I called them.” After joining the Upper Limit Aviation Rotorcraft flight program Michael was determined to succeed no matter how difficult it was. “It was scary I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t fear for my life but I was really nervous,” said Michael, “Everybody gets in the aircraft thinking they should be able to fly the first day, but it takes time.”

Sometimes the basics aren’t very basic, in helicopter piloting hovering is a basic skill that is both difficult and extremely important. “There is a term we like to call stirring the pot, where you make an input but due to how the helicopter is built it doesn’t happen right away and it is easy to over correct,” said Michael. “It is like trying to balance a dime on the head of a pin, the inputs needed are so small.” Read more