Editor’s note: “Where Are They Now” is a Muscatine Journal series written by former Muscatine Journal editor Gil Dietz, who welcomes comments and suggestions.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Jim Delveau is doing what he always wanted to do: fly airplanes and teach other people to become pilots.

Delveau, 49, is a certified flight instructor and the owner-operator of Fox Aero in Des Moines. He is also a member of the Des Moines Flying Club where he is one of the four flight instructors. He is one of 32 investors in the club and a member of the board of directors.

Delveau is the son of Jack and Beverly Delveau who are both deceased. He is a 1978 graduate of Muscatine High School. His high school sweetheart was Jennifer Fox, and they were married in 1984. Her name is part of the company name, Fox Aero, and she does the accounting for the firm.

Although Jim was interested in flying from an early age, his original career was in computers. He received an associate degree at Muscatine Community College, and then transferred to Iowa State and earned a bachelor of science degree in computer science.

His first job was with a small firm in Des Moines, doing general computer consulting and custom database programming. He later took a position with a bank in Des Moines as a network administrator and later as database administrator.

“I worked in the computer field for about 15 years, and had also obtained my pilot’s license early on, when I decided that I would like to try working for myself as a certified flight instructor. I have been doing that full-time since 2003,” Jim said in an interview.

“I remember taking an airplane ride at the Muscatine airport during an air show/fly-in event. I must have been about 8 years old, and I could just barely see out the side window. I have always loved airplanes ever since and have been involved with everything from full-scale planes to balsa wood gliders. My dad was a pilot, and it seemed to run in the family.

“In addition to being a flight instructor, I occasionally function as a co-pilot for pilots whose skill or perhaps insurance requires two pilots in the airplane. Some of these trips have taken me to Chicago, St. Louis, Omaha, Minneapolis and other cities. I also helped ferry a plane which had been sold to a new owner in Alaska,” Jim said.

There are approximately 100 members in the Des Moines Flying Club. Members pay monthly dues that basically cover the fixed expenses such as hanger rent and insurance.

“When members fly they pay an additional fee for the aircraft,” Jim said. “When they receive flight instruction from me or another club instructor, they pay the instructor separately.”

“The club owns four aircraft. We have a Piper Cherokee 140 that is a low wing trainer. We have two Piper Archers that are also good trainers but a bit bigger and more capable. The club also owns a Mooney M20J. This is a much faster airplane with retractable gear.

“All instructors must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. An instructor studies for several written tests and must pass an oral and flight check ride in addition to first becoming a commercial and instrument-rated pilot,” Jim said.

Delveau is a member of the National Association of Flight Instructors and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He has more than 1,000 hours of instruction time, and more than 3,000 hours of total flight time.

As a certified instructor, Jim provides primary training for a person to become a private pilot. He also gives flight reviews, which is training all pilots must receive every two years. He is certified to provide instrument training required for pilots to fly in the clouds or in poor visibility.

Delveau works out of the Ankeny Regional airport and Des Moines International. Some of his clients are pilots who own their airplanes. “Many of them were members in the club to start with.”

Delveau has given training for a number of students who are on career paths to become commercial airline pilots, “but I have more who just want to learn to fly for the fun of it.’’

Delveau said he gives primary flight training to about five persons each year. It takes anywhere from 15 to 25 hours of instruction for a beginner to solo, and a total of 60 to 70 hours to receive a pilot’s license. “About half of my time is spent instructing already rated pilots working on proficiency and flight reviews.”

In addition to work as a flight instructor, Jim is also building an airplane. “It is an RV-6 and I started it in the basement of our old house in Ankeny. We had to cut out part of the wall at the top of the basement to get it out of the house when we moved! All of our friends who know the story seemed to get a real kick out of that one.

“I have been working on the airplane for about 10 years now, but I would rather fly than build, so I am not making the kind of progress that many do on the same project. I did get the plane moved out to the airport last December, and should have it in the air this summer.”

For a person who started out spending many hours working in the confines of the computer business, it is easy to see how Delveau enjoys his real passion for flying airplanes.

Contact information:

Gil Dietz: 563-263-5499

gvdietz@earthlink.net.