About Blue Skies Gyros

Craig McPherson is a fifth generation Texas dairy farmer and rancher. He and his wife Cathie live on a family-owned farm located in Blum, TX. 

 

Craig dreamed of flying since he was a child.  As he grew older he realized there was a lot of time and expense associated with getting a general aviation pilot license.  Many years later he noticed an article in a farming magazine about powered parachutes (PPCs). Craig visited an instructor in Oklahoma, and even though it was too windy to fly that day, he was hooked!  He returned home and bought a small, used PPC. That was in 1994.  Over the years he has worked his way up to the top of the line Airwolf 912 and has integrated flying into farming and ranching.   Craig enjoys sharing his love of flying so much he founded Blue Skies Gyros and became a dealer for Powrachute, and later Auto-Gyro.  

 

Becoming a certified Flight Instructor (CFI) has been Craig's most enjoyable accomplishment.  He has over 3,000 hours instructing students in gyros and over 2,000 in PPCs. His success as an instructor has allowed him the privilege of meeting and training some wonderful people, including celebrities like Ty Murry, the seven-time PRCA World Champion and All-Around Cowboy who received his PPC pilot training from Craig. Ty's wife, singer/songwriter Jewel; Nascar driver Carl Edwards; and country music singer Blake Shelton have also flown with Craig.  

 

"I love witnessing the excitement and pure joy people express the first time I take them up.  I also love watching my students progress into capable and safe pilots," says Craig.  "Being a CFI and pilot has been such a blessing in my life and has given me such amazing opportunities."