Ryan Oltman started out in the mountains of western Colorado, where he grew up on a farm and cattle ranch. He learned how to use everything from the simple shovel to heavy machinery and put miles on horseback through the mountainous terrain outside Gunnison, Colorado. Ryan completed his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois where he met his wife, Kathy Yeater. After 12yrs at the university Ryan and Kathy moved to Williamsburg in 2007 after a short stay in west Texas. Ryan and Kathy are members of St. Bede Catholic Church.
Ryan has spent his professional career specializing in flight simulation and is the vice president of Bihrle Applied Research, an aerospace research firm in Hampton. This career has taken Ryan to some interesting locales and provided opportunities to work with the international aviation community shaping future airline pilot training requirements.
Ryan has two hobbies: golf and flying. He has shown above-average proficiency at one and truly little proficiency in the other.
Ryan began taking flying lessons when he was 14 and obtained his pilot’s license at 17. Ryan recently completed his term as board president of Malibu M-Class Owner’s and Pilot’s Association an international non-profit organization dedicated to the safety and advocacy of the Piper M-Class airframe. Ryan and Kathy currently own a Piper Malibu aircraft and keep it at Williamsburg Airport.
As for golf, Ryan has perfected the art of losing golf balls.
Ryan invites everyone to experience some level of Schadenfreude (that is the joy of watching someone else’s misfortune), while he is out on the dance floor! He will be giving it his best shot! Let’s hope his dancing acumen is closer to his flying skills than golfing.